Eldar

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The Eldar are an ancient and mysterious race, possessing some of the most powerful weaponry in Warhammer 40,000 Universe. They are described as a more micro intensive race, with the right use of abilities winning the game rather than raw firepower, one of the main reasons new players have trouble playing as the Eldar.

In the right hands, however, the Eldar are a force to be reckoned with. The Eldar in Dawn of War represent a more basic Craftworld than the ones seen in Games Workshop'sWarhammer 40,000 table top game. Still they posses the same ideals: highly-specialized units working together to achieve victory. So novice or not, to make the Eldar work for you, you'll need to be willing to lose a few games before your victory, as you'll need to understand how your units work.

Backstory

The Eldar are one of the oldest races in Warhammer 40,000 universe, using a wide variety of technology and equipment humans of the Imperium can only dream of. But the past of the Eldar is one of great pain and death, leading to the birth of the Great Enemy.

During the high point of the Eldar empire, many of the citizens became relaxed with their unchallenged domination of the galaxy and began to seek new experiences in many dark realms. This however was the begin of the Fall. The dark vices of the Eldar were tainting the Warp, the source of their mystical abiliities. The greatest of the Farseers foresaw this event, but their calls went unheeded. So they and many Eldar created massive self sustaining starships, called Craftworlds, and took to the stars in hope of escaping the eventual Fall. Others went away to far away planets to live a simple, secluded and restrained life.

Finally the corruption of the Warp proved too much, bringing about the birth of the Great enemy, the Chaos god Slaanesh, and in doing so doomed the Eldar race for eternity. When Slaanesh was born in the middle of Eldar space, he destroyed much of the Eldar and their worlds, taking their souls and ripping a tear in real space where the Warp can cross over, known today as the Eye of Terror.

Still not all was lost, for the escaped Craftworlds float around the universe, trying to preserve the Eldar way of life. They are constantly at the ready for battle, with many craftworlds; such as Biel-Tan; reclaiming many worlds lost to the Mon-Keigh, or non-Eldar, after the Fall.

Dawn of War

Farseer Macha of Craftworld Biel-Tan

Tartarus saw the planetary invasion of the Orks, but that was a minor threat compared to what the Eldar faced. A Biel-Tan strike team, or Swordwind, led by Farseer Macha was tasked with the defense of the Maledictum, a powerful stone encasing an even more powerful daemon. This plan was thrown into chaos as the Blood Raven chapter of the Space Marines insisted on rooting out any taint of Chaos and destroying any Eldar on Tartarus who stood in their way. Despite warnings from Macha, the human interference allowed Chaos to capture the Maledictum.

It was only with a combined Eldar and Space Marine force that the Maledictum was retrieved and the Chaos SorcererSindri Myr was destroyed, but in true human arrogance Gabriel Angelos again ignored Macha's warnings and destroyed the Maledictum. In doing so the human freed the daemon from his entrapment and unleashed him upon the mortal world. Farseer Macha and her Swordwind had failed due to the human interference and fled back to their Craftworld. Hopefully the Eldar would have their revenge on the Blood Ravens.

Winter Assault

Lorn V, a cold world inhabited by Orks and Chaos was the next location of a Necron harvest. Farseer Taldeer of Craftworld Ulthwé foresaw their arrival on Lorn V and began preparation to destroy them. Farseer Taldeer had with her the most powerful weapon, a Soul Stone, which was to be used to destroy the Necron's Monoliths, the heart of the Necron armies.

The problem was that the location of the arrival of the Necrons was near an Imperial Titan, which a newly arrived Imperial Guard Regiment was tasked with reactivating. Although Farseer Taldeer struck a cease fire with the Imperials, it wasn't long before the Xenophoic humans betrayed the trust and attacked Taldeer's forces, but Taldeer foresaw this long before it happened. Through careful manipulation of the humans, Taldeer made it possible for the Imperial Guard to reclaim the Titan, as without Taldeer's help, they would never had made it.

With the boosted morale of the Imperial Guard they went on to drive back the Necrons and while it wasn't Taldeer that did it herself, it still was a victory. Even if the humans did not acknowledge the help the Eldar gave to them.

Dark Crusade

Farseer Taldeer of Craftworld Ulthwé

In the beginning of the Dark Crusade, Taldeer and a strike force from her craftworld, Ulthwé, landed in the cold northern region of Kronus. There they constructed a large webway gate to increase the rate of reinforcements and keep in constant contact with the Craftworld Ulthwé. Taldeer was there for the same reason she was on Lorn V: the Necrons. She foresaw their awaking on the planet and accepted the task of driving them back to their crypts.

Taldeer wasted no time seeking destruction of the other races present on Kronos, should they pose a threat later into the Dark Crusade. Space Marines were driven back off the planet with well planned strikes, the Imperial Guard although useful on Lorn V, were too much of a risk to leave alive on the planet and were swept aside by the swordwind. Chaos, the Eldar's oldest foe was entrenched in the Deimos Peninsula but couldn't withstand the fury of the Eldar, as they too crumbled, likewise the Brutish Orks led by Gorgutz himself were sent into infighting by careful Eldar manipulation. Even the naive Tau and their claim to the world meant nothing to Taldeer as she removed their Ethereal, demoralizing the Tau, leaving many of its citizens to fend for themselves as the humans, who were once the Tau's captives turned on them.

Finally, with the Necrons Taldeer decided the task of destroying them was too great a burden to allow anyone else to take, so she herself delivered the final blow to the Necrons: a well placed Eldar explosive charge. This once again entombed the Necrons in the earth where they should stay and never return. And just as quickly as the Eldar arrived on Kronus, they left with nothing more than some foot prints in the dirt remaining. Giving up Kronus to whomever, for the planet meant nothing to Taldeer or the Eldar, and with her mission done she returned to Craftworld Ulthwé waiting for another vision of Necronic Destruction.

Eldar Units

Bonesinger

"The Craftworld sings to me and I respond in kind."

The Bonesinger is the builder unit of the Eldar race. Able to construct a wide variety of wraithbone buildings in a short amount of time, they are crucial for the Eldar war effort. Bonesingers tend to the wraithbone, maintaining it, be it the constructed buildings or the various Eldar war machines, all wraithbone must be sung to.

Guardian Squad

"Guardian Squad, ready."

Guardians are the craftworld's militia, civilians with some combat training called to arms in the time of need. They are generally equipped with a Shuriken Catapult, and can be led by powerful Warlocks.

Ranger Squad

"Silent and swift."

Following the path of the outcast, Rangers wander the stars searching for adventure and danger. Many die on their personal quests, succumbing to the many perils in the universe. Some, however, end up as Rangers, often returning to their Craftworld when it engages in war.

Dark Reaper Squad

"We are the dealers of death."

Dark Reapers are the very incarnation of death, able to lay waste to whole squads of advancing enemy troops from long range with their powerful Reaper Launchers. The are dedicated to their aspect, and thus they bring unemotional doom upon their targets.

Howling Banshee Squad

"Our cries herald the comming of great pain to our enemies."

A predominantly female aspect of war, Howling Banshees are nimble warriors closing into melee where they unleash a furry of blades upon the enemy. The masks Howling Banshees wear are psychosonic amplifiers, used to emulate the death calls of the legendary spectre.

Harlequin

Dark Crusade and forward

"I come to dance the Dance of Death."

The Harlequins are an independent force in the Eldar race. Worshiping the Laughing God of the Eldar, Cegorach, they travel to the Craftworlds to reenact the battles of the old. However, in battle their elegance shines, their fluid movements disposing of the enemies of the Eldar in deadly fashion.

Warp Spider Squad

"We move through the Warp, as it moves through us."

A rare aspect of war, Warp Spiders use warp jump generators enabling them to teleport in and out of the battlefield. Equipped with powerful Deathspinner weapons, which unleash a stream of deadly monofilament wires into their enemies, the Warp Spiders can be an unpredictable force on the battlefield, appearing behind enemy lines and laying waste to enemies of the Eldar and jumping back before a counterattack arrives.

Seer Council

"The time for war is nigh."

The Seer Council is a collection of the strongest Warlocks a Craftworld contains. They dance into battle, bringing with them potent psychic powers and a deadly Witchblade. When joined with the Craftworld's Farseer, they can be twice as deadly.

Farseer

"Shall I divine your next move?"

The spiritual leader of the craftworlds, Farseers guide their kin to battles furthering the Eldar cause. The Farseer is an extremely powerful psyker able to deliver deadly psychic abilities to her enemies, or empower her own troops. The powers of a Farseer can be further strengthened when attached to a Seer Council.

Avatar of Khaine

"By my bloody hand, the enemy shall not live past this day."

When the Great Enemy Slaanesh destroyed the Eldar war god, Khaine, he was shattered into small segments, and then scattered to numerous craftworlds. These Avatars epitomize the fury of the Eldar in battle, and loom over the battlefield, inspiring Eldar troops and cutting a bloody swath through its enemies with its Wailing Doom.

Shuriken Grav Platform

The Grav Platform is a device used by Eldar as a support weapon, teaming up with various squads to boost their fire power. The Shuriken varitation is used as a powerful anti-infantry weapon, firing a constant stream of shuriken discs at high velocity.

Brightlance Grav Platform

The Grav Platform is a device used by Eldar as a support weapon, teaming up with various squads to boost their fire power. The Brightlance varitation is used as a powerful anti-vehicle weapon, firing a refined laser at the target.

Falcon Grav Tank

"Just as Falcon brought Anaris to Eldanesh, we bring warriors to the front."

The Falcon Grav Tank is the all purpose vehicle of the Eldar forces. Powered by anti-grav technology it hovers over the battlefield which makes it a quick transport or weapon platform, ready to respond to any threats against the craftworld.

Vyper

"Vyper, ready to sting."

Vypers are an all around anti-vehicle platform, with speed on it's side, it is excellent at raiding enemy outposts before retreating back to safety. It's powerful missile launcher is also excellent at disrupting enemy lines.

Wraithlord

Powered by the once dead spirits of the Eldar craftworld, these constructs move unearthly across the battle. This wraithbone body gives dead warriors another chance to defend their craftworld, armed with a variety of different weapons as well as close combat weapons, Wraithlords are a powerful force to behold.

Nightwing

"Nightwing, sleek and deadly."

The Nightwing is the primary fighter craft of the Eldar combining a speed and maneuverability that no Imperial fighter can match along with considerable firepower and sophisticated energy field protection.

Fire Prism

"Fire Prism at the ready."

Built upon a Falcon Grav Tank body, the Fire Prism is armed with one of the most powerful weapons in the Eldar arsenal. The Prism Cannon is a powerful crystal that, when focused on a target, unleashes a devastating blast. Coupled with heavy armour and an array of other weapons, the Fire Prism is a must-have for any Eldar assault.

Eldar Buildings

Webway Assembly

The Webway Assembly is the heart of Eldar ground operations, it links directly via the webway to the orbiting Craftworld. This allows the Craftworld to ferry troops to the ground battle without the risk of them being intercepted in transit.

Thermo Plasma Generator

Aspect Portal

The Aspect Portal allows the quick transportation of different aspect warriors from the Craftworld. With each construction of a Aspect stone, the Aspect Portal allows different Eldar aspects of war to reach the battlefield easier.

Soul Shrine

Powered by the Eldar spirit stones, the Soul Shrine is a testament to the fallen Eldar warriors of the past. Through their collective influence within the Wraithbone, they can help their mortal kin by providing their knowledge of old technologies and weapons, giving the Eldar forces in the mortal world a edge on the battlefield, therefore continuing their service to the Craftworld.

Support Portal

The Support Portal makes a webway link directly to the Craftworlds armoury, supplying the ground forces with tanks and wraith constructs. Each aspect stone add-on links the support portal to another area of the Craftworld armoury, supplying new tanks.

Webway Gate

These field Webway Gates are weaker than the webway gates of old, which could transport huge armies in a blink of an eye. The current Webway Gates can transport Infantry across great distances, as well as provide a target for relocation. The Webway Gates also process the ability to shroud the area around them, cloaking friendly buildings.